h716a5.icuBarcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has warned against harassing referee Szymon Marciniak after his team's Champions League defeat against Inter.
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Barca knocked out in crazy UCL semi-finalFlick and players speak out against refereeGoalkeeper warns against criticising officialFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Barcelona were knocked out in a hectic end to their semi-final tie, losing 4-3 in the second-leg on Tuesday as Inter prevailed 7-6 on aggregate. Coach Hansi Flick and midfielder Pedri complained about the referee following some contentious decisions by the official, with the latter suggesting UEFA "look into" him.
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Szczesny was also quizzed on the referee's performance, but he chose not to linger on the issue as he warned against getting caught up in conspiracy theories amid claims by the Catalan media that Marciniak is a Real Madrid fan.
WHAT SZCZESNY SAID
He told : "I know that in the event of a defeat, people usually talk about the referee's performance, but I don't intend to dwell on that. There's no need to make excuses. Things will be discussed, but it's not worth going down that road."
One incident saw a penalty given to Inter for a Pau Cubarsi foul, which Hakan Calhanoglu converted before half-time. VAR intervened to award a spot-kick, and Szczesny felt it was an unfair call. He added: "It was close and, honestly, I thought there was no penalty at all, but apparently it seems that Pau didn't touch the ball so a penalty was called. It was a quick action and it was decided like that. There's nothing more to say."
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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?
While Barca are out of the Champions League, they can still clinch the domestic double by winning La Liga. They are four points clear of Madrid with four matches left to play ahead of this weekend's Clasico clash with their fierce rivals.